2026 FIFA WORLD CUP: AMERICA’S MOMENT IS HERE
Welcome to our mini-report on World Cup fandom in America—the next installment in our 2025 United States of Soccer insights series. From emerging fan demographics to geographic hotspots, we’ll explore how America’s unique and diverse soccer landscape is poised to embrace the global game’s premier event.
The Men’s World Cup is back in North America for the first time in 32 years. The 2026 FIFA World Cup represents a landmark moment for the sport in North America, arriving in a dramatically transformed soccer landscape where fan engagement, media consumption, and cultural relevance have reached unprecedented levels. As we’ll explore throughout this report, the tournament offers an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate soccer’s growth trajectory across all segments of American society.
As you read through our mini report, note that all insights, unless specified otherwise, come from our survey of over 2,000 ardent and casual fans conducted in December 2024.
SETTING THE SCENE
Next June and July, the global event returns to a nation whose relationship with soccer has fundamentally transformed. When America last hosted in 1994, the sport existed on the periphery of the national consciousness. Today, it stands at the center of a vibrant, diverse, and rapidly growing fan ecosystem.
Despite the challenging winter timing of the 2022 tournament, Men’s World Cup viewership shattered previous records. FOX Sports saw a remarkable 30% increase in average viewership from 2018, while NBCUniversal’s networks (Telemundo) and streaming platforms (Peacock) delivered a 14% boost. The Final between Argentina and France attracted 25.8 million viewers across English and Spanish broadcasts—a notable 31% jump from the previous tournament.
Perhaps most tellingly, Americans purchased 147,000 tickets to the Qatar tournament—more than any other visiting nation. This extraordinary enthusiasm for a distant World Cup foreshadows the potential for unprecedented engagement when the tournament arrives on home soil in 2026.
A NEW, DIVERSE FANBASE
Let’s start with scale. The potential audience for the 2026 tournament is substantial: approximately 87 million Americans express at least “a little interest” in the World Cup1. This includes 34 million female fans, 17 million Hispanic supporters, and 12 million Black enthusiasts—dynamic audience segments that represent both the present and future of American soccer fandom.
Our soccer landscape is experiencing a dramatic transformation driven by emerging fan demographics that reflect the nation’s evolving relationship with the global game. Our research reveals a substantial 17% of current fans began following soccer within just the past five years—roughly coinciding with the previous Men’s World Cup cycle. This highlights the tournament’s power as a catalyst for sustained fan development.
These new soccer enthusiasts represent a demographic shift that’s reshaping American fandom. Compared to established supporters (those following for 6+ years), newcomers are significantly younger (35% aged 16-24 vs. 15% of established fans), more female (53% vs. 38%), and more diverse (29% Black vs. 16%).
They’re also 123% more likely to identify as “Event Seekers” who engage primarily during major tournaments rather than through day-to-day engagement. The 2026 tournament arrives at the perfect moment to convert casual event-based fans into long-term supporters of the sport. With games hosted across North America, prime viewing windows, and unprecedented media coverage, the tournament creates an ideal environment for deepening engagement with these emerging fan segments.
WHY FANS ROOT
America’s diversity creates a multifaceted fan landscape where rooting interests extend beyond simple national allegiance. National team fandom is driven by a balanced combination of personal identity and performance factors that reveal the complex relationship Americans have with the global game.
While birthplace narrowly ranks as the single strongest motivation, it’s essentially tied among choices with playing style and player admiration, showing that fans value both cultural connections and on-field qualities. Family heritage rounds out the top four motivations, further demonstrating this balance between identity and on-field performance.
WHY FANS ROOT FOR NATIONAL TEAMS
THE MULTI-TEAM PHENOMENON
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the first to feature 48 teams, offering fans unprecedented choices in who to follow and support throughout the tournament. This abundance of options creates diverse approaches to fandom that reflect America’s unique soccer landscape.
With so many competing nations, fan allegiance takes various forms. Some exclusively support one team. Many follow multiple teams. And others engage without specific rooting interests and simply enjoy the competition. Our research reveals distinct patterns in how fans approach World Cup team support.
Nearly a quarter (24%) of fans demonstrate exclusive loyalty to a single team, while two-thirds (66%) distribute their support across multiple teams, and roughly 10% engage without specific allegiance. This diversity of approaches reflects the increasingly global and multicultural nature of soccer fandom in America.
NATIONAL TEAM ROOTING INTEREST TYPES
The largest segment—fans with one favorite but who also follow other teams—represents a middle ground between nationalistic and globalistic fandom. This approach balances primary national identity with global appreciation, reflecting the increasingly interconnected nature of international soccer fandom.
The multi-team supporters showcase the transnational nature of modern identity, with family heritage and cultural connections playing significantly stronger roles in their team selections. This fandom approach aligns perfectly with America’s multicultural identity, creating opportunities for deeper engagement with diverse communities.
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THE FANBASE SPECTRUM: FOUR DISTINCT APPROACHES
As described above, national team fandom is complex and shaped by intersecting factors of identity, appreciation, and engagement. While birthplace remains the strongest single motivation overall, significant variations across fan types and demographics reveal distinct pathways to engagement.
The evolution from exclusive single-team support to primary-but-flexible support to equal multi-team support reflects changing relationships with national identity in our increasingly global and multicultural world. Demographic variations—particularly those across age, gender, and ethnicity—demonstrate how personal background and life experience shape fandom approaches and create distinct fan profiles:
Classic patriotic fans where national identity directly translates to loyalty. Typically Male (37% higher than Females), older (Gen X 37% higher than Gen Z), and White (38% higher than Black fans). Motivated by birthplace and country connection rather than performance.
Balance primary national identity with global appreciation. Millennial-leaning (56% higher than Boomers), gender-balanced, with higher Black and Hispanic representation. Value playing style and player quality while maintaining cultural connections.
Represent the transnational nature of modern identity. Youth-skewing with strong Hispanic representation (89% higher than White fans). Family heritage dominates motivation (83% higher than average) with cultural/linguistic similarity also important (56% higher).
Neutral observers who value quality over team affiliation. Higher Female representation (46% higher than Males) and younger skewing (16-24 year olds 18% above average). Appreciate international soccer as showcases of elite talent rather than expressions of national identity.
These insights provide valuable strategic opportunities for brands, sports organizations, and marketers to engage fans through targeted messaging that recognizes diverse motivation patterns, rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach to national team fandom. Each segment represents different entry points and engagement opportunities for the 2026 World Cup.
TEAM LOYALTIES: WHO AMERICA SUPPORTS
When examining the specific teams that capture American fans’ loyalties, clear patterns emerge that reflect the nation’s diverse cultural makeup and generational differences. We asked fans to pick the singular men’s national team they care about most and here’s what they told us.
The U.S. Men’s National Team dominates fan support with 55% of fans claiming them as their favorite men’s team. However, this leaves a substantial 45% who primarily support other nations, revealing the diverse allegiances within American soccer fandom that make the audience unique.
FAVORITE MEN’S NATIONAL TEAMS
Mexico emerges as the clear second choice, creating a natural North American rivalry that will again take center stage during the 2026 tournament. Following Mexico in popularity are Argentina, Brazil, and England.
The significant “Other” category demonstrates the wide-ranging international connections of American soccer fans beyond the most popular choices. This diversity of allegiance creates unique marketing opportunities for the 2026 tournament, which will showcase 48 teams from around the world.
Fan preferences vary significantly across demographic lines. Generationally, Gen Z shows the least U.S. support while Boomers demonstrate the strongest U.S. loyalty, supporting our earlier insight about younger generations being more diverse in their fandom. Gender also creates distinct patterns: men favor the U.S. and traditional soccer powers like Brazil and England, while women distribute support more evenly across multiple teams.
Beyond these patterns, it’s important to note that Hispanic fans represent diverse backgrounds, with 60% being of Mexican heritage and the remaining 40% split among Caribbean, Central/South American, and European origins. Among these Hispanic groups: Caribbeans and Europeans have the highest U.S. support with Central Americans having the lowest. Mexicans are the only Hispanic group to over-index in rooting solely for one country, while also being the only group to under-index in having one favorite but rooting for multiple.
PATRIOTISM AND THE GLOBAL GAME
Major international sporting events naturally evoke patriotic sentiments, but soccer’s standing as the world’s game creates a platform for fans to express and experience national pride in unique ways.
Soccer and World Cup fans display strong patriotic feelings around international competitions, with 55% of soccer enthusiasts and 58% of World Cup enthusiasts reporting they “get really patriotic around international sporting events.” These patriotic sentiments around international competition are higher than those of hockey supporters (53%), baseball and basketball fans (49%), and American football fans (43%).
The World Cup’s presence on home soil offers unprecedented opportunities to harness this patriotic energy. With nearly 60% of World Cup fans expressing strong patriotic sentiments during international sporting events, the tournament creates a unique platform for brands to connect with consumers through national identity.
This patriotic connection is especially powerful given the diverse team allegiances we’ve uncovered—even fans who primarily support non-U.S. teams display strong patriotic feelings during international competitions. This suggests opportunities for marketing campaigns that celebrate both American identity and the multicultural connections that define the modern soccer landscape.
WHERE WORLD CUP FEVER BURNS BRIGHTEST
Speaking of fervor and excitement around the World Cup, we analyzed which local U.S. markets will help drive engagement and excitement for the tournament. Using a comprehensive approach, we evaluated all 210 of Nielsen’s Designated Marketing Areas (DMAs) to identify America’s true World Cup hotspots.
Our market rankings combines multiple data sources (MRI-Simmons / Esri, YouGov, Google Trends, Nielsen) to create a complete picture of World Cup enthusiasm, online search behavior related to the World Cup, fan interest and attendance intentions, and previous World Cup viewership across both English and Spanish broadcasts.
After combining the data, here are the top 10 markets for World Cup excitement with scores out of 100:
What distinguishes the elite markets is consistency across metrics. While some markets excel in specific areas—like El Paso’s Spanish-language dominance or Washington’s English-language strength—the very top markets demonstrate soccer enthusiasm across all measures, creating a solid foundation for World Cup excitement in 2026.
THE PERFECT STAGE: SUMMER SPOTLIGHT
The 2026 FIFA World Cup returns to its traditional summer schedule, positioning the tournament during a slower time in American sports—a period when compelling competition and prime entertainment across professional and collegiate sports are at their lowest in the calendar year. And World Cup momentum is real.
Despite being held during winter, the 2022 World Cup was massive in reach and impact:
- 147K: tickets bought by Americans—the most of any visiting country
- 2.6M: average viewers on NBCUniversal networks/streaming—up 14% from 2018
- 3.6M: average viewers on FOX Sports networks for 64 games—up 30% from 2018
- 19.4M: actions on Telemundo-owned social—up 255% from 2018
- 25.8M: combined English & Spanish viewers for the Final—up 31% over 2018
- 49.3M: unique visitors to World Cup content on FOXSports.com
- 88.4M: views for FOX Sports “World Cup Now” across 129 live shows on Twitter / X
- 1.2B: views of FOX Sports coverage on social—up 172% from 2018
- 22.1B: minutes consumed on NBCUniversal digital streaming platforms—up 14% from 2018
If these numbers can be achieved when the previous tournament was held during one of the busiest times of the American sporting calendar, what can we expect in 2026? Summer timing aligns perfectly with the American sports “desert”—falling during the slowest period for U.S. sports where activity is only roughly 40% of its peak period.
The combination of summer scheduling, multiple host cities across North America, primetime viewing windows, unprecedented media coverage, and an increased number of World Cup participants creates the perfect environment for record-shattering viewership and fan engagement.
32 YEARS LATER: AMERICA’S TIME TO SHINE
After 32 years away from American soil, the Men’s World Cup returns to a nation transformed—where soccer has evolved from a niche sport to a cultural phenomenon embraced by diverse, passionate communities coast to coast. The stars have aligned for an unprecedented moment. Here’s why it’s America’s time to shine:
- • Unprecedented Fan Enthusiasm: Tens of millions of Americans express interest in the World Cup, with a significant portion having recently begun following soccer, demonstrating explosive growth in engagement and passion for the sport.
- • Perfect Timing Advantage: The tournament returns to American soil during summer—the slowest period for U.S. sports activity—creating an ideal environment for record-shattering viewership and fan engagement without competing entertainment.
- • Diverse and Growing Fanbase: America’s World Cup audience skews younger and includes substantial Hispanic representation, reflecting the evolving and increasingly diverse face of American soccer fandom.
- • Multi-Team Support Creates Broader Appeal: Many fans root for multiple countries or have interest beyond their primary team, expanding the potential audience well beyond just U.S. supporters and creating sustained tournament interest.
- • Geographic Hotspots Ready to Ignite: Major markets like Miami, New York, and Los Angeles demonstrate extraordinary enthusiasm across all demographics—but they’re hardly the only markets with major tournament interest. From the Northeast to the Southwest and the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest, fans are excited.
- • Cultural Connection Drives Authentic Passion: Family heritage, birthplace, and playing style rank as top motivations for team support, showing deep emotional investment that goes far beyond casual interest in the competition.
- • Patriotic Energy Meets Global Competition: World Cup fans report heightened patriotic feelings around international sports events, positioning the tournament as a powerful moment for American audiences of all backgrounds.
Want more insight into World Cup fans?
Shoot our business intelligence team an email below if you’d like to gain additional insight.